A Forbidden Love
by aishi22
Summary: Sakura Kinomoto finds herself torn into two when she is forced to chose between her life as the princess of Zentra or her feelings for a boy who happens to be the prince of the kingdom that killed her own parents and could end up in war against. SS & TE
1. The Kingdom of Zentra

A Forbidden Love

Story Summary: Sakura Kinomoto finds herself torn into two when she is forced to chose between her life as the princess of Zentra or her feelings for a boy who happens to be the prince of the kingdom that killed her own parents and could end up in war against her own kingdom. Also, as time moves by, Sakura realizes that old myths are coming true, and she may be the only one that can save the world. ((Sakura & Syaoran, Tomoyo & Eriol))

Chapter I : The Kingdom of Zentra

_Six year old Sakura Kinomoto ran down the narrow hallway, one hand rubbing against the ancient walls of the church of Cerberus, the other hand holding onto her father, Fujitaka's hand. As she jumped down a step, she thought she saw a glimmer of light at the bottom of the hall. She broke free from her father and began to sprint down the hallway. She reached the end and turned into another hallway, somehow knowing where to go. After going down a few more hallways, she ran past a door, but quickly ran back to it to find the strange glimmer hovering next to a large tapestry. Slowly she walked over to it, and looked at the tapestry carefully._

_It was of a boy and a girl. They were in what looked like a tower in a dark-stoned castle. The boy wielded a sword with one hand while the other hand clasped a strange looking necklace. The girl seemed to be glowing and was also holding a similar necklace. All around them were bizarre, scary looking creatures. Sakura turned around to find the unusual light that had led her to the tapestry was still there, hovering lazily in the air. Sakura noticed something glittering behind it. Hesitantly she walked over to it._

_It was a beautiful necklace with a large blood-red gem in the center, shaped as an oval. Something, maybe the light, told her that it was meant for her. She gazed at it in fear for a few seconds, but seeing as nothing happened, Sakura picked it up and put it on. The floor beneath her lit up and the ball of light flew at her, flying right into her. After a few seconds the light below her faded, and she lay down, suddenly feeling drained of energy. Faintly she heard her name being called._

_"…Sakura…Sakura…SAKURA!!!!!"_

Sakura sat up quickly, her heart thudding loudly and her body drenched in sweat. After a few seconds she stood up and walked over to her bathroom to get a shower. She sighed, thinking about how scared she had been. Yes, she had just woken up from her nap, but what she had seen was not a dream, it was a memory from her childhood. Her hand strayed to the necklace hanging around her neck. She shook her head and cleaned herself up, then walked over to the other side of her room.

Sakura stared out of the vast window of her extravagant room, gazing down at the miniature town below her that was bustling with many people buying or selling items to one another. The sun, Cerberus, shined brightly down upon the beautiful kingdom of Zentra, and the deep blue sky seemed to go on endlessly. No clouds smeared the sky today. Lately there hadn't been any, as if the sun was warding them all away from the area, like a magical charm. Everything seemed peaceful and pleasant. Sakura sighed to herself.

_… but how long will it all last?_

Sakura lived in the palace which was ruled by her older brother, Touya. Their mother, Nadeshiko, had been killed by assassins from a neighboring kingdom when Sakura was only five years old, so she didn't remember much about her except her gentle, loving smile. Their father, Fujitaka, had passed away a year ago from an unknown illness that the town's people claimed was a poison or virus sent by the same kingdom that had killed her mom.

Still, Sakura was happy, even without her parents. Although her brother was a bit pushy and overprotective, often calling her a monster, and the fact that most of her family was dead, she still had a few close friends, and of course the people of the kingdom loved her. Sakura sighed as she thought of her Oniichan and friends at the same time. Touya never approved of her friends, especially if they were boys; even now when she was _eighteen!_ He definitely won the "most stubborn person in the kingdom award"!

Sakura sat up straight as she heard a small knock at her door. It had surprised her, and she had jolted awake from her train of mixed up thoughts. She sighed inwardly and hoped it wasn't her Oniichan, come to push her around or something bothersome.

"Hai, come in!"

In walked Sakura's personal assistant and best friend, Tomoyo Daidouji. Tomoyo had beautiful raven colored long hair that shined on its own accord, sparkling eyes full of brightness, and a smile that always helped Sakura feel better when she was down. Tomoyo was the person whom knew Sakura the most, and Sakura trusted Tomoyo with everything, even her secrets. They had been best friends since the age of four, and she was the only friend Touya really accepted; going as far as letting her live in the castle.

"Ohayo Tomoyo!"

"Ohayo Sakura-chan!"

Tomoyo walked over to her and sat down beside her on the window seat, gazing out of the gigantic window of her palace bedroom. They could see about half of the kingdom from where they were sitting, and often when Sakura was brooding over something, she'd sit in front of it for hours. Tomoyo knew Sakura well enough to know something was chewing at her mind.

"Sakura-chan, what's disturbing your thoughts?" Sakura sighed and turned her back to the window.

"Has Touya decided to go along with his plan after all?"

"Hai, the king will be coming along with his assistant, and they will be staying for a few weeks. Hopefully, if things go well, we will have a peace treaty between the countries, but if not…"

What Tomoyo was talking about was, of course, the fact that Zentra was trying to create peace with the neighboring kingdom that had supposedly killed Sakura's mother and father. If they didn't manage to settle any hostilities in the time they'd be visiting, or something went horribly wrong, it would mean war. Sakura shivered. _War._ The word itself sounded cold, broken, and deadly. War caused starvation, war caused sadness, and war caused death. Sakura didn't want that to happen to her people. Tomoyo took hold of Sakura's hand and squeezed it gently.

"Everything will be alright Sakura-chan, don't worry."

"I know I shouldn't Tomoyo, but…" Sakura sighed and continued to stare out the large glass window.

"It feels like the calm before the storm…"

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Okay so I'm pretty new at all of this, but I hope you enjoy it! Please leave reviews because they really help my muse All the chapters will probably be around this length, and there will be a lot. Thanks!


	2. The Kingdom of Li

A Forbidden Love

The Kingdom of Li

"Lord Syaoran, I bring a letter from the kingdom of Zentra."

Syaoran Li looked up from his cluttered desk surface to gaze tiredly at his personal assistant, Eriol Hiiragizawa, walking in with a golden envelope in hand. Syaoran took the envelope from him and tore it open quickly, skimming the page hastily. After a few seconds he blinked, looking down at it confusedly, and then turning to Eriol, handed him the unexpected message. Eriol smiled mysteriously and began to read thoroughly, making sure to take notice of every detail. Syaoran walked over to his large window which over looked the kingdom.

The kingdom of Li was a vast and growing land, almost larger then their neighboring kingdom, Zentra, and he ruled over it all. Syaoran had originally been the crown prince, but a few months ago his father had died in an incident that his people believed was staged by the kingdom of Zentra. Thus, Syaoran was now the king, and it took most of his energy and time to maintain the peace of serenity of the land. Lately more and more people wanted to go to war against Zentra, blaming them for mysterious deaths and disappearances, but Syaoran wanted to avoid war at all costs. _Violence only brings more violence…_ That was what his father had told him, anyway.

Syaoran could remember his father well, but his mother was a different story. His mother had been a priestess at the Church of Yue, and supposedly the holder of immense magical powers of the moon, far outdoing anyone in all the kingdoms combined. Syaoran remembered going into the church a long time ago to find his mother standing next to an odd looking wall. She had said it was a barrier keeping evil monsters away. She had said that there was more then one, but only one was in the kingdom of Li. A few years later Syaoran had found her dead, lying next to the barrier, no cuts of gashes on her. It was as if she had just fallen asleep. Then…Syaoran shivered. He didn't want to remember it, although it puzzled him. Syaoran turned to look out the window.

Syaoran, although acting mature at most times, was only eighteen years old; the same age of his assistant, Eriol. Eriol and he were not only close friends but distant cousins as well, though how exactly; he did not know nor understand. Anything Syaoran knew, Eriol knew; there were no secrets they seemed to keep from each other. Then again…Eriol was a mysterious person… Either way, he was very helpful to Syaoran, and Syaoran was thankful that Eriol didn't mind helping him with all his tedious loads of work.

Syaoran turned and gazed warily at his cluttered desk. Lying on it were many different maps and construction blue-prints with colored pins sticking through them, used to mark different locations where the mysterious deaths and disappearances had occurred. He had been trying his hardest to find a similarity, a relation to all these tragedies, but so far there wasn't anything. Syaoran sighed inwardly and turned to gaze at Eriol.

"So Eriol, what can you tell from the letter?"

"Their letter seems inviting enough, as if they want to avoid war as much as us, but whoever wrote this message was careful to conceal their emotions. I cannot tell exactly what their true intentions were."

Using a unique type of magic, Eriol could somehow read the thoughts of the writer's mind when they had been writing by somehow feeling their emotions through the words of what they had written down, but if they blocked out their emotions and thoughts while writing the letter, there was no way of knowing. It was a hard magical skill to use, but Eriol was very powerful, naturally.

"Is it possible to look into their minds right now?" Syaoran inquired darkly. Although he didn't like the prospect of infiltrating people's minds, sometimes it was the only way to keep himself alive. It was the only way of telling whether or not the invitation was a trap set for him. A life as king was a life that was always on the line.

"From the way they blocked out their thoughts, it was either the king or his assistant who wrote this letter, and both have exceedingly strong magical powers. I would for sure be noticed." Syaoran nodded.

"Eriol…what should I do?" Eriol smiled at him kindly.

"I think you should agree to go visit the king of Zentra. Bonding more will help lessen the people's thoughts of war and strengthen the image of peace we've always wanted. Surely if we spent more time learning about them, we could go so far as to make a peace treaty."

Syaoran thought about it for a few seconds. He definitely didn't want to go to war, and he was interested in seeing the kingdom of Zentra. He'd never been there before, although he heard it was a beautiful place.

"I guess it sounds like a good idea…" Eriol laughed and said in a quieter tone,

"I heard they have quite a beautiful princess too." Syaoran, although expecting something like this to pop up eventually, tripped over a book lying on his floor and pulled off a perfect face-plant into the plush green carpet of his room.

"I guess I should have been expecting exactly that from you, Eriol. I'm not doing this for some princess! How many times have I told you, I don't need a girlfriend! Girls are week and don't think about anything but clothes and make-up!" Eriol laughed softly.

"If you say so, Majesty."

"Just write the letter back, Eriol."

"Hai," With that, Eriol exited Syaoran's room.

Syaoran stared up at the ceiling, lying on his bed and thinking deeply about all that Eriol had said. He trusted Eriol's advice, and he didn't want things to turn violent. He sighed and turned around onto his side, shutting off the lights. His last thoughts before falling asleep were,

_…a princess? Yeah, right._

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Okay, I'll probably be able to update every three days for a while. I hope you are enjoying it so far, and don't worry, it does start to speed up and become more interesting later on Thanks to **duckeygoesroarrr for reviewing!!! Please, if you do read my story, review, because it really does help me out!**


	3. An Early Meeting

A Forbidden Love

Chapter III: An Early Meeting

_Sakura ran down the darkly lit hallway as fast as she could without making a large amount of racket. She didn't have much time however, and being quiet while running was a very challenging skill to accomplish in a short amount of time. She rounded a corner and came to fork in the strange corridor. She thought back to the instruction she had been given and took a left, going down an even darker hallway. This place had lighting problems apparently. She really wished there were some open windows or something where she could get some fresh air, but she knew she wouldn't have had time to stop anyway._

_She ran into yet another fork and this time took the right. Time seemed to be speeding up just to make her look slower, and she despised the feeling immensely. She looked at all the doors carefully, taking in every detail, but her mind was in a frenzy-like panic mode._

_"Golden doorknob…golden doorknob…golden doorknob…where the hell is it?!"_

_She faintly wondered if she had accidentally taken a wrong turn or if the instructions were perhaps wrong, but then she decided both of those theories were wrong. There was no way she would have taken a wrong turn, not on something that was so desperate and important to her, and Yukito-san had been the one who gave her the instructions; he was never wrong._

_Her time was running out quickly, and she knew it. She was about to cry, to let all the pain escape through her salty tears, but she then heard his voice, recorded carefully in her mind._

_"Don't cry Sakura. Crying won't help when there is something you must do."_

_Sakura swallowed her tears and walked forward, a new light shining in her eyes._

_"You're right. Don't worry, I'm coming!_

"SAKURA!!!" Sakura jumped, managing to fall out of bed and land heavily on the carpeted floor beneath her. She rubbed her head and stood up dizzily, looking confusedly at the door. _That sounded almost like Tomoyo…_ There was more loud pounding from the door, and faintly Sakura thought she heard a few low muttered curses.

"Sakura, GET UP! It's already ten, and the king of the Li kingdom and his assistant are going to be here in three hours!"

"HOE!!!" Sakura jumped up, surprised. She had forgotten that they were coming and had slept in, which was becoming a bad habit of hers. She quickly ran to the door and let a frantic Tomoyo in. Tomoyo sat down on Sakura's desk chair and tossed her the brown bag she had been caring. Sakura could easily guess what was inside of it.

"One of your new designs Tomoyo?" Besides working at the palace for Sakura, Tomoyo was also a very famous fashion designer, and she often used Sakura as her model and guinea-pig for new designs. Sakura couldn't complain; Tomoyo made beautiful outfits. She had created most of Sakura's wardrobe.

"Hai, when you wear it you're going to look ultra-cute Sakura-chan; so much that the king himself will have to fall for you!" Tomoyo's eyes were sparkling with joy and pleasure. Sakura sighed and took it out of the bag. It was a beautiful dress, and once again she admired Tomoyo's designing skills. It was a light-blue with long, draping sleeves; medieval styled. It really had the appearance of a princess dress!

"Arigatou Tomoyo! I'll go put it on right now!"

Sakura couldn't help but sigh as she warily walked into her bathroom. It wasn't the outfit, no, the dress was absolutely stunning. It was the comment Tomoyo had made. Since her sixteenth birthday, Tomoyo had been trying to get Sakura to get a boyfriend…and Tomoyo wasn't one for giving up. There were several reasons why Sakura didn't want to have one however. For one, there was Touya who'd probably have the unlucky boy thrown out of the kingdom. The other reason was that she had just never felt anything while around boys. Maybe she just didn't like any she had met…or maybe she didn't have any of those hormones yet. It didn't bother her much; she couldn't see what she was missing out on.

Sakura walked out of the room and found Tomoyo in awe. This was the normal response from Tomoyo when Sakura modeled for her.

"Sakura-chan, you look so stunning and beautiful in the outfit! I'm honored to have you wear it!" Suddenly there was a knock at her door.

"Princess Sakura, permission to enter."

"Hai,"

In walked one of the castle guards looking slightly perplexed. He was wringing his hands, and his eyes darted from the door to Sakura nervously.

"Um…well, you Majesty, as you know, the king and his assistant had to go lead a mass at the Church of Cerberus due to the high priests illness. Well…um, the kingdom of Li's king and assistant just arrived. I think it would be best if you spoke to them."

Sakura stared at him for a second, and then realized what the man had said.

"HOE!!!"

Syaoran Li looked around the room in apparent interest. Sitting next to him on one of the couches, Eriol seemed to be focused on the stairway, as if expecting someone to appear on it at any second. The castle seemed well kept, and there was a friendly atmosphere about it. Just as Li started to wonder what the rest of it looked like, Eriol nudged him in the ribs with his elbow. Syaoran, surprised, looked at Eriol questioningly. His cousin pointed to the stairs.

Syaoran could not take his eyes off the young woman walking down the staircase towards them. Gracefully she strolled over to them, and they rose in respect, and as hard as he tried, he still could not remove his eyes, especially when they met her emerald ones. His heart beat quickened considerably. What was going on with him? Who was she?

"Welcome to Zentra Castle! I'm Princess Sakura Kinomoto."

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Yeah, it seems pretty short. Luckily there are going to be a lot of chapters though. Enjoy and don't forget to review! Thanks to DemonFromThePast, xxxemiko.itooshixxx, and ffgirl-07 for review chapter II


	4. Syaoran's Strange Symptoms

A Forbidden Love

Chapter IV: Syaoran's Strange Symptoms

_"Welcome to Zentra Castle. I'm Princess Sakura Kinomoto."_

Syaoran Li was absolutely stunned. Not at the fact that Sakura Kinomoto was pretty, but at the fact that he actually agreed. Syaoran had seen many good-looking girls before in his life, but never, not once did _he_ actually think they were beautiful. Before he had come to Zentra, Syaoran had thought he didn't have any hormones; he saw no interest in dating, had no dreams of being with a girl, and definitely no sex drive.

Just seeing Sakura Kinomoto for one second had totally changed everything he had believed. His heartbeat was quick, his breathing a bit uneven, his eyes glued to her gorgeous face, and his mind and body full of lust. He stopped his train of thought, surprised at himself. _What am I thinking? I must not forget what I made myself swear to! Lust and love are two different feelings, and the only girl I'll ever be with is the one I love. My late brother made that mistake…and it cost him his life._ It was true though, one of his older brothers had fell under a girl's spell while he was at a bar. Syaoran and his father found him dead a day later. Syaoran shook his head and turned his attention back to what the princess was saying.

"This is my assistant, Daidouji, Tomoyo."

"I am Hiiragizawa, Eriol, assistant to his Majesty, Syaoran Li."

"I'm afraid his Majesty is out on some business with his assistant, so I have been asked to show you to your guest rooms so you can relax and distress from your trip for a bit before he returns. Hiiragizawa-kun, Tomoyo will show you to your room, and your Majesty, I will show you to your own. Please follow me."

_Even how she talks; her voice and the way she moves are perfect. And even though she sounds so professional, I can tell she's nervous._ Syaoran walked closely behind her, looking at everything; the paintings, furniture, even the walls, just not at her. Every second he gazed at her the strange feelings only became stronger. The castle was interesting though, and he didn't mean by the way it was built or the items inside it. Both he and Eriol, coming from the same family line, had inherited a large amount of magical power, and although his was feeble and small compared Eriol's, he could tell the castle was protected by many strong and ancient spells. They went down another corridor, and then entered a room on the left side.

It was a spacious room with a wide window on the far side, a bed to his right, a table with chairs to his left, a small kitchen area in a room nearby, and a bathroom in another room to his left. It was certainly a luxury, just as the castle itself seemed to be. His castle was just about the same size, but it didn't hold as much mystic power as this building seemed to hold in its walls. There was something about it… Syaoran's eyes shot open wide. _…the other castle was like this…_ Syaoran shook his head. No, he wouldn't dwell on it right now.

Your family must really care about their guests, right Miss Kinomoto?" The princess nodded and smiled at him, causing Syaoran's heart to pound loudly like before. Her smile seemed to lighten the room, even though the sunlight streamed through the window and brightened the area already.

"You can pretty much see where everything is. The kitchen is just incase you're the type that likes to cook their own meals. We serve dinner at seven normally. Oh! Would you like anything? I'd be happy to serve you."

"Actually, I'd like a glass of water and a lemon, if that's okay…" Water with a bit of lemon juice helped Syaoran wake up whenever he was tired, and lately he hadn't been getting as much sleep as he'd like. Sakura bounded over to the door.

"Of course it's okay! I'll be right back!"

As she left, Syaoran sighed in relief, although he found himself longing for her to return. He blinked, then found he was gripping the back of one of the chairs very hard. He was angry; not surprising really.

"What am I _thinking?_ She's the princess of a kingdom we might have to go to war with!"

_"…it's quite simple. You have feelings for her, and in your heart it shows plainly," _said a voice in his head.

"I can't have feelings for her! I just MET her!"

_"…but that's how everything starts, isn't it?"_

Syaoran gasped as the words echoed through his head. His eyes widened considerably._ No, no don't think about it!_

"_…think about it Syaoran, because nothing in this world is a coincidence… all plays to fate's favor. There is nothing you can do to stop it."_

"No! Stop it," but it was too late. Already it began flashing through his mind.

_Black stairway…snow…dark castle…a girl's scream…the snow beneath him dyed red…_

"NO!" Syaoran put his two hands on his head, trying to force the strange flashes of images away. Syaoran shook his head angrily, and was almost ready to just lay down and take a nap when Sakura came bursting through the door. She quickly put the glass of water down, but she accidentally dropped the lemon. Both of the reached down to get it at the same time, and Syaoran's face heated and his heartbeat quickened as he mistakenly placed his hand on top of hers. There was a brief moment where the voice in his head said, _don't let go_, but he ignored it, and ducking his head, whispered,

"Gomen." Sakura picked it up and handed it to him, laughing lightly.

"Don't say sorry; it was my fault in the first place! If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask. I'm on the second floor, left side corridor, third room on the left."

With that said, Sakura exited Syaoran's temporary room, leaving his ears ringing with her pleasant voice and melodious laughter, music to his ears.

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Okay, thanks for reading and please leave reviews! They make my muse happy :) Much thanks to AngelEmCuti and ffgirl-07 for review chapter 3 3


	5. Hiiragizawa's Thoughts

A Forbidden Love

Chapter V: Hiiragizawa's Thoughts

"So, you are the assistant to the princess, Sakura Kinomoto-san?" Eriol asked lightly, engaging in conversation with the beautiful raven-haired girl. The moment she had walked in with the princess, she had captured Eriol's eyes, something that proved difficult for most people to do. Tomoyo smiled and laughed happily, obviously enjoying the fact that Eriol had asked about her and Sakura.

"Not only am I the lucky assistant of the super-cute Sakura-chan, but I also get to make most of her outfits, and in return she models for me! I'm actually the one who made the dress she was wearing today. Wasn't the light-blue silk absolutely gorgeous, especially how it sparkled on her beautiful form in the dim lighting of the castle?"

Eriol nodded and smiled, pleased that she was so happy. Sakura had looked stunningly beautiful, as he had expected, of course. Still, something told him that the princess was not his type. However, Tomoyo on the other hand…Eriol followed her as she turned a corner and into yet another corridor.

"Do you enjoy designing clothing? Is it a hobby, or do you do it professionally?"

"Actually, I am a professional designer and one of the most famous of this kingdom," Tomoyo said, blushing slightly and placing her hand over her cheek. "My success, however, would be nothing without the help of wonderful Sakura-chan who never refuses to try on anything I make."

"I can't see how anyone could. Your clothes look so superb." Tomoyo blushed again. They turned a corner and walked into a vast room that very well could have been a regular sized apartment room.

"If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask at anytime, okay?"

"I can ask for…anything?" Tomoyo nodded, smiling.

"Then…could I ask for your company for a little while? I brought some tea from my kingdom, and I'd be much happier to have someone to drink it with," requested Eriol, smiling his mysterious smile. Tomoyo nodded, the slight blush still on her face.

"I'd be happy to join you, Hiiragizawa-kun."

Eriol got up and walked over to the kitchen area and taking out his cooking supplies, began to boil the tea on the stove. After a few seconds he threw in some leaves and herbs to flavor the tea a bit more.

"Hiiragizawa-kun, you seem quite experienced in cooking and brewing tea." Eriol laughed and nodded.

"Before I worked full-time for Lord Syaoran, I was a priest for the Temple of Yue. They would often send me to different kingdoms to search for certain pieces of information, or sometimes to check a myth or legend. In that time I was alone, so I had to cook my own food, but I learned a lot on travels like that."

_…yes a large amount of knowledge. Some of it, I wish I didn't know…_Eriol thought to himself. He shook his head and turned to gaze at Tomoyo.

"Oh, is the strange pendent you're wearing from the church?" Eriol's eyes widened. _How can she see it when she posses no magical powers?!_

"Yes, it is. It is an important artifact relating to my last mythical search…tell me, Daidouji-san, have you ever believed in those fairytales adults used to tell us when we were little, like The Dove and the Crow, The Tale of Two Suns, or The Castle In the Sky?" Tomoyo gazed at him, confused.

"When I was little, yes, but I know that they are fake now…" Eriol smiled.

"Are they _really_? Well, I've traveled around the world, getting information on myths like those. You'd be surprised by all that I found out…but that will have to be discussed another day."

"So, Daidouji-san, how did you meet the princess?"

"I met Sakura-chan when I was four, and we instantly became the best of friends. My mother had been working for the palace for a while, so his Majesty took to me right away. We've been together since." Eriol brought over the tea and poured it into the cups on the table, then handed one to Tomoyo, smiling kindly at her.

"So how did you meet his Majesty of the Li kingdom?" Eriol laughed lightly.

"Actually, we're both cousins…in a way. I've been his assistant ever since his father died."

"Oh, I see. Gomen…" Eriol smiled at her.

"It's okay. Syaoran-kun is doing a good job as king, although he is a bit…lonely. Tell me, do you know if Princess Sakura has ever had a boyfriend or dated?" Tomoyo's eyes widened a bit as she realized what he meant by asking.

"No, she hasn't…Hiiragizawa-kun, are you thinking that…" Eriol nodded, smiling widely and causing Tomoyo to blush further, a sparkle in her eyes.

"I have a feeling, Daidouji-san, that things are going to become quite interesting." Both Tomoyo and Eriol laughed with smiles upon their faces. They drank their tea in silence for a while, imagining the future. After a while, Tomoyo got up slowly.

"Arigatou for the tea, Hiiragizawa-kun," said Tomoyo. Eriol stood up and walked over to her, a warm smile on his face. He took Tomoyo's hand in his own and gently pressed it to his lips.

"Please, call me Eriol. May I call you Tomoyo?" Tomoyo blushed madly and nodded, stifling giggles. "I will be seeing you later then, Tomoyo-san."

"Goodbye, Eriol-kun."

As Eriol watched her leave, his heart began to stop pounding so hard.

_"Yes, things are going to become quite interesting…but I wonder, will we all make it through this alive? The presence of darkness is growing stronger, and I'm sure that I'm not the only one that can feel it."_

Eriol turned around and walked silently over to the large window in the back of his splendid room. He gazed out it, down at the miniature dots that he knew were people walking around the streets of the town. These people weren't strong enough in magic to understand the truth. It seemed that the king and his assistant of the castle hadn't figured it out either.

_My studies taught me a lot, but a good amount of it I wish I didn't know. Even now…I may be the only one to realize it._

Eriol turned his back to the window and walked over to the teapot.

_…we are not alone._

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_Okay, I hope you're enjoying this so far! Please don't forget to review! Thanks to AngelEmCuti for reviewing chapter 4 :)_


	6. The King of Zentra

A Forbidden Love

Chapter VI: The King of Zentra

"Well, that took longer then I thought it would," said Touya tiredly as he stretched his arms out. Yukito laughed as he looked at Touya's familiar half-annoyed expression. They had been helping with the early morning mass at the Church of Cerberus due to the sudden illness of the high priest. It was indeed sudden, but not entirely unexpected. Many strange things had been happening lately. Death, disappearances, and illness were only a few of them.

Touya and Yukito walked into the large palace gates, saluted by the guards as they went by. After a few minutes they opened the large doors to the palace and stepped in. As Touya took a step inside, he came to sudden stop, his eyes narrowing. He turned to Yukito, his eyes gazing around at his surroundings, and asked hesitantly,

"Yuki, do you feel what I do, or is it just me?" Beside him, Yukito also stiffened up, his eyes darting around warily.

"There are two unknown people here who possess immense magical powers…almost rivaling our own; outsiders for sure."

Touya nodded. In anyone would know for sure, it would have to be Yukito Tsukishiro, his best friend who, like him, was powerful in the art of magic. He and Yuki were the strongest in the Zentra kingdom when it came to possessing magical powers, so these two mysterious people had to be… just as he was about to finish his train of thought, a guard ran over to them, saluting quickly.

"Your Majesty, the king and his assistant of the Li kingdom arrived here about two hours ago. The princess and Miss Daidouji took care of them, but I thought it would be best to tell you." Touya turned and glanced at Yukito for a second.

"Yes, thank you. I take it that they're in their guest rooms that have been prepared for them?"

"Hai."

"Please tell the cook to prepare a feast, and please tell everyone to wear formal clothing, as we are celebrating the king coming to visit us."

"Hai."

With the last command given, the guard sprinted off to relay his series of messages. Touya turned to look at Yukito tiredly, already wishing he could just freeze time and take a nap. Yukito laughed and smiled at Touya's expression, making him feel slightly better about their situation. Yuki always had the effect on him. They walked down the center of the hall slowly.

"Yuki, your foresight didn't show them coming three hours early, did it?" Yukito paled.

"No…it didn't." Touya sighed. Yukito was specially gifted with the power of foresight, and this was the first time his foresight was wrong, which meant a more powerful force was messing around with it. Power caused problems…only two hours in and the world was already becoming a mess.

"…have you or the high priest any idea about the strange occurrences?" This wasn't the first time Touya had asked Yuki about it. Touya was still hoping that Yuki or the priest would figure out the cause, but so far they had been fruitless. Although both he and Yuki agreed that some kind of creature was causing it, most of the kingdom's population blamed the kingdom of Li for the murders and disappearances.

"I'm sorry Touya, but neither of us has any idea what it could be…" Touya sighed. The main reason he invited the king over was so that they could both try and chase down what the cause was. They would have to be quick, because if they failed or took too much time, war might break out.

They reached the center of the hall and came to a stop at his thrown. He sat down heavily and rubbed his eyes tiredly. He was only a thirds way through his average day, but he felt as though it had been forever since he last slept.

"Yeesh, I really hope Sakura made a good impression on the king," said Touya wearily. "I'd hate to have him at our throats when we haven't even met in person yet." Yukito laughed, a bright light in his eyes.

"Don't worry Touya. Sakura-chan is cute and kind. I'm sure she did fine!" Touya sighed and lay back, looking down at the black marble floor.

"I really hope you're right Yuki," muttered Touya. "So what do we know about this king?"

"Only that he took over for his father who died, and his name; Syaoran Li."

"Wow Tomoyo, that is amazing!" exclaimed Sakura happily. Tomoyo had just returned to Sakura's room and told her about her meeting with Eriol and how he treated her so kindly and gentleman-like. Tomoyo sighed in a dreamy tone, and Sakura couldn't help but giggle lightly. Eriol seemed like a good person, and Sakura was happy for her best friend.

"So Sakura, what is the king like?" Tomoyo asked, suddenly alert. Sakura jumped, surprised at her sudden serious tone of voice.

"Hoe?"

"The king, what is he like?" Sakura thought about it for a second.

"He seems nice, mature, and bothered by something. He didn't seem to want to look me in the eyes…" Tomoyo giggled lightly.

"He must be having a hard time, feeling like that all of the sudden,"

"Hoe?" Tomoyo giggled, her eyes shining and full of kindness.

"So naive still, Sakura-chan? I'm sure you'll understand in time!" Tomoyo was right; Sakura didn't understand what she was saying at all. _Hoe? What does she mean? How am I naïve? What is the king having a hard time about?_ Just as Sakura was about to inquire further, a knock came at the door.

"Hai?"

"Princess Sakura, Daidouji-san, his Majesty has ordered a banquet and requests you both dress formally to it. We will eat in two hours time."

"HOE!!! That's not enough time!" exclaimed Sakura, jumping up quickly and started to walk hastily around her room. Tomoyo laughed and thought to herself,

_Eriol was right when he said things were going to become interesting…_

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_Okay, this chapter is pretty slow and mostly dialogue, sorry! Please review, and thanks to the two mysterious people and AngelEmCuti for reviewing chapter 5 :D_


	7. The Banquet

A Forbidden Love

Chapter VII: The Banquet

Sakura paced around in her room hastily, muttering under her breath, _"what to wear, what to wear?"_ Sakura hated it when things were suddenly sprung upon her without warning, and she wasn't prepared for them. She sighed and fell backwards onto her bed, trying to relax herself by closing her eyes. Why was she so worried all of the sudden? It was only her, Tomoyo, a few council members, Yukito, onii-chan, and the foreign guests. Normally, Sakura could have cared less.

"Sakura-chan, guess what? I was expecting this to occur, and I brought another newly designed outfit for you to wear that is formal enough to pass your brother's expectations!" said Tomoyo excitedly. Sakura sat up, smiling widely.

"Tomoyo, you are a life saver!" Tomoyo went to Sakura's closet and pulled out a stunning black dress and a pair of matching high heals to go along with it. Sakura rushed to the bathroom and put it on quickly. The dress went down to her ankles in the front but touched the floor in the back. Instead of long sleeves, Tomoyo had made it with spaghetti straps instead, showing off Sakura's shoulders and arms. Sakura smiled to her reflection in the mirror then walked out to meet Tomoyo.

"Sakura-chan, you look so mature and beautiful!" exclaimed Tomoyo joyfully, eyes shining. Tomoyo had dressed quicker then Sakura and was wearing a dress similar to Sakura's but in white.

"You look really pretty too Tomoyo!" Tomoyo giggled, and they both looked up at the clock.

"Sakura-chan, we should give his Majesty some time to talk to Eriol and his king," said Tomoyo, gazing out the window. Sakura nodded and also gazed out of the vast window.

_…why do I feel nervous now?_

Syaoran Li turned to look at Eriol, wondering what his cousin was thinking so deeply about. Eriol had, of course, told him all about his meeting with Tomoyo Daidouji and how he felt about her, and Syaoran had been very surprised. Eriol had always been quiet and shy, one of the few people besides him that didn't have a girlfriend. Eriol turned away from the window to look at Syaoran, the mysterious smile on his face.

"You are nervous, aren't you Lord Syaoran?" Syaoran turned his face away from Eriol to hide the fact that it was turning red quickly.

"N-n-no, of course not! Why would I be nervous?!"

"…so how did you like the princess?" questioned Eriol, smirking slightly.

"She was uh, um, friendly." Eriol laughed and walked over to the door, the mysterious smile upon his face yet again.

"It is time to meet his Majesty of the Zentra kingdom." Eriol swung the door open just as the guard was about to knock, his fist frozen in the air, a startled look pasted on his face. Eriol smiled and told him to lead them to the dinning hall. Syaoran followed Eriol silently, wondering if Eriol had used his foresight and knew the guard would be there. Also, he couldn't help but wonder if Eriol had looked into his mind the moment they met in his room. Yet, it wouldn't be the first time.

They walked down a set of stairs, the same Sakura and Tomoyo had walked down to meet them a few hours ago, and into the hall to the left, where a vast table was situated with two people already sitting there. As they approached, the two people stood in respect. Eriol and Syaoran bowed, and then took their seats. The man with jet-back hair spoke first.

"I am Kinomoto, Touya. This is my assistant, Tsukishiro, Yukito. I am the ruler of the kingdom of Zentra. I take it you are the ruler of the Li kingdom?"

"Hai. My name is Li, Syaoran. This is my assistant, Hiiragizawa, Eriol. It is an honor to finally meet you." Just as Touya was about to talk, the silver haired man, Yukito, whispered something in his ear, and both of them turned around. Syaoran followed their gaze and felt his heart skip a beat.

Princess Sakura and her assistant, Tomoyo Daidouji was walking elegantly down the stairs, and Syaoran found himself in awe of her beauty. Against the soft black of her dress, her emerald eyes sparkled with a bright light, and her smile was full of pure joy. When her eyes met his gaze, she turned her gaze away quickly. Syaoran smiled slightly and looked over at Eriol who had captured Tomoyo's eyes quite well. Sakura sat down between him and Touya, and Tomoyo sat between Touya and Eriol.

It was the hardest challenge for Syaoran to not look over at Sakura, but the king kept him busy talking about his kingdom, and he had a feeling that Touya was very protective of Sakura. He didn't want to make things any worse then they already were. The cook served them turkey with mashed potatoes which tasted excellent, but unfortunately Syaoran's mind could get off Sakura. _I bet she tastes better…_ Syaoran blinked and shook his head quickly, trying to rid himself of the thoughts. Syaoran turned to gaze at Eriol.

Eriol was talking to Yukito, apparently quite interested in something. Syaoran listened closely.

"So the high priest of the Church of Cerberus has fallen ill?" Eriol asked.

"Hai, and unfortunately the illness doesn't seem to want to give up. We've tried every medicine and magic spell we know, yet none work against this virus."

"This is very ill news to me. I do hope he gets better soon," spoke Eriol, and for a second, Syaoran thought he heard true despair in his tone, but it quickly disappeared. At that exact moment, Eriol turned to gaze at Syaoran, and Syaoran knew that the despair he had heard was real, for Eriol's gaze held sorrow. _Why does the health of a foreign priest affect Eriol so much?_

Syaoran turned back to Touya as Touya began to explain some more about the kingdom of Zentra. Still, Eriol's reaction worried him, and between that and his thoughts of Sakura, Syaoran's focus was below average. Dinner ended and they all began to walk back to their rooms.

* * *

Thanks to AngelEmCuti and the mysterious person for reviewing chapter 6! You made my muse very happy :) I hope everyone can bear this chapter (it is a lot of dialogue --) and look forward to the next :D 


	8. Courtyard of Roses

A Forbidden Love

Chapter VIII: Courtyard of Roses

"Sakura-chan, are you alright? You've been awfully quiet ever since we got back from the banquet," questioned Tomoyo worriedly. Sakura nodded, although she wasn't convincing anyone, not even herself. It had started once she met the amber eyes of his Majesty, Li-kun. When she had talked to him before, she hadn't been able to pay much attention, and she had been too worried that she'd do something wrong and Touya would get mad about it, but at the banquet…

_…he was hot. There is no other way to describe it. _It was true; from his messy chocolate colored hair, to his deep amber eyes, he had captured Sakura's interest; something no other guy had ever done. Just thinking about him caused her to blush lightly. _My heart was beating so fast…I felt nervous! It was because of him?_ Sakura shook her head, wondering what had caused the bizarre change in her way of thinking. She sighed again and stood up, walking over to her door slowly.

"Sakura-chan, where are you going? Will you be okay?" asked Tomoyo, gazing at her carefully.

"I'm going to go sit in the courtyard gardens for a while and straighten out my thoughts. Don't worry, I'll be fine." With that said, Sakura took a deep breath and walked out of her room. She didn't see Tomoyo's eyes fill with worry or hear her mutter,

"…Sakura, please feel better soon…I'm worried about you…"

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Syaoran Li walked along the hallways, trying to clear his mind of all the emotions left from the banquet so that he could actually think straight. Still, no matter how many times he tried to convince himself she was out of his mind, he'd suddenly see her face, her kind and joyful smile, her petite body and luscious red lips…it was driving him insane! He sighed to himself, thinking _the sooner we get this thing done, the better…_ However, Eriol had said that it could take even more then a month! Could he really live with these strange feelings for a month?

As he turned a corner he felt something unusual, like something was calling to him. He wondered if it was some kind of trick set up by the king or his assistant, but something told him otherwise. He quickly closed his eyes and used magic to search for the cause, but he could not locate it. After a few seconds of standing there, trying to decide what to do, he chose to follow the strange call, hoping that he hadn't just doomed his own life. He walked down the long, dark hallway, then found himself in front of a glass door showing that it led outside. Hesitantly he opened it and walked out.

He breathed in the cool night air as a cold wind blew past him, ruffling his hair, and he felt slightly refreshed. Yue, the moon, was full and shined brightly down upon the courtyard gardens. Normally he would have been sitting outside, going over some work with Eriol in his kingdom, but since he had arrived at Zentra castle, he had been inside all day which wasn't the most pleasurable idea to him. He blinked and turned his head as he heard a girl's voice, carried by the chilly wind.

_…as night falls through day, I can hear you say_

_Never again will you close the doors to my heart…_

Syaoran began to walk through the beautiful gardens in search of the owner of the magical voice. The gardens were large, with a waterfall somewhere to his left and a hedge maze just beyond it. After rounding a large bush, he stopped short. Princess Sakura was sitting on a bench amid a patch of roses underneath a great tree, her knees pulled up to her chest and her eyes closed. Slowly the song came spinning from her lips.

_…I knew deep inside that in the end we would part,_

_I never thought that it'd rip me apart…_

As she finished the last word, a drop of water fell from her eye, landing on the ground quietly. Syaoran stared in shock. _…she's crying…_ Syaoran tried to decide whether or not to help her, and in the end he found himself walking over to her slowly. She looked up at him, surprised that he was there. She quickly hid her face, trying to hide her tears and sadness from him. Syaoran sat down next to her, and, taking her face in his hands gently, he brushed away her tears, smiling at her while gazing into her confused emerald eyes.

"Y-y-your Majesty?" Sakura stuttered in surprise. Syaoran shook his head, still not taking his eyes of hers.

"Please, call me Syaoran. May I call you…Sakura?" Sakura, wide-eyed, nodded silently. It was then that Syaoran realized he was still holding Sakura's face. Both of them were blushing, and slowly Syaoran brought his face closer to hers.

----------------------------------------------

Sakura watched as his face got closer to her own, wondering what had come over the king so suddenly. There was a second in which they gazed into each other's eyes, the n Syaoran pressed his lips onto hers gently, and something like an electrical shock shot through her. She closed her eyes and found that she couldn't stop herself from putting her arms around his neck and kissing him back. It felt so wonderful, like she was floating in the night sky, flying in heaven. As much as she knew it was wrong, she didn't want to stop.

_No!_

Sakura pulled herself away from him hastily. _What…what am I doing?! _With a frightened glance back at him, Sakura ran towards the palace, and without stopping to look back, ran up to her room, slammed and locked the door behind her, and fell onto her bed, tears falling even more then before.

_I know I have feelings for him, but I can't…I can't! But…but…ugh, why can't I think straight?! _Sakura turned to look at her stuffed bear, the one her father had given her. It was one of her most treasured items.

_Oh Fay, what do I do?_

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Sorry it is a day late, but the web wouldn't let me put the document up in the morning, and then it started to run maintenence. Also, sorry for the shortness of the chapter, but after this one it starts to pick up a bit more and go deeper into the plot line.

Anyway, please review as always, and thanks to AngelEmCuti and unknown person for reviewing, it means a lot :)


	9. Daidouji Enterprises

A Forbidden Love

Daidouji Enterprises

Sakura opened her eyes slowly, still not completely awake. She rubbed her eyes and got up, walking (or rather, stumbling) over to her dresser. She grabbed some blue jeans and a pink tee-shirt with images of cherry blossoms on it. She sighed and dragged her feet over to her bathroom and after a quick shower, got dressed and walked back to her bed. She sat down heavily. The first thing that she heard herself think was…what she wanted to forget. _Syaoran…_She knew that she had feelings for him, but if she let those feelings out…she sighed. It wasn't just the fear of her Onii-chan however. Something was giving her a foreboding feeling about liking him…a warning maybe? Sakura turned to look at the clock.

"HOE!!! I'm late!" The clock said it was nine, which made Sakura late to breakfast. She quickly ran out her door, slamming it behind her. Tomoyo would be mad.

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Tomoyo paced around the dinning room warily, wondering where Sakura could be. Li and Eriol were also standing, talking in hushed voices. Touya and Yukito were out on some business affairs, which was normal for them. Tomoyo turned to gaze at the stairs, filled with worry. She turned around as Li approached her quietly.

"Um, Daidouji-san, about Sakura…um, I" Just as he was about to continue, Tomoyo heard footsteps behind her and turned around to find a very perplexed Sakura-chan.

"Ohayo Tomoyo, Hiiragizawa, …Syaoran. Gomen!" Tomoyo looked at Sakura, startled. Her gaze went from Sakura to Li, then back to Sakura. She then turned to Eriol, who just smiled mysteriously.

"Shall we eat, then?" suggested Eriol lightly.

"Um…yeah," replied Tomoyo, still gazing between the two suspiciously.

They sat down in their seats from the banquet yesterday night and began to eat quietly, each lost in their own thoughts. Breakfast consisted of pancakes and some melon with orange juice. Tomoyo was still wondering what had happened. After a few minutes Sakura pushed her plate back and stood up. Tomoyo got up as well.

"Sakura, you have work today," said Tomoyo, smiling kindly at the troubled princess.

"HOEE! I'm sorry Tomoyo; I woke up so late, and I forgot! I'll go grab my stuff!" Sakura ran up the stairs hurriedly. Tomoyo turned to gaze at Li.

"You two should go into the town today. His Majesty will be away for most of the day," said Tomoyo. She then turned to gaze at Li, confusion written on her face. "Your Majesty, why did" Tomoyo was stopped short.

"Tomoyo, Kinomoto-san has locked herself out of her room," said Eriol quietly. Tomoyo turned to look at Eriol confusedly.

"How do you k," Just as she was about to finish her question, Tomoyo heard Sakura. She was yelling down the stairs.

"Tomoyo, I need your key!" Tomoyo turned and gazed at Eriol for a second, then hurried up the stairs to help Sakura.

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"So Sakura, what happened between you and his Majesty last night?" asked Tomoyo. Sakura almost tripped over her own foot, which she had done several times before. They were walking through the city, which was much larger then how it appeared from Sakura's bedroom window. All around them people walked to and fro shops and restaurants. Sakura caught her balance and turned to face Tomoyo.

"H-how did you know something happened?" Tomoyo smiled mysteriously, almost rivaling Eriol's.

"You called him Syaoran-kun at breakfast, not Li-kun or Your Majesty," Sakura blushed slightly and gazed down at the paved road.

"…well…um, I went to the roses in the courtyard, and I was singing, and he sort of just popped up out of nowhere. He comforted me and helped me feel better and then…um…well,"

"You can trust me Sakura, but if you don't want to tell me, I'll understand." Sakura felt her blush spread.

"We kissed!" Sakura covered her face in her hands, embarrassed. Tomoyo giggled lightly.

"Do you like him?" Sakura gulped and nodded.

"My brain tells me that I shouldn't, especially giving the circumstances, and Onii-chan won't stand for it…but, I think I like him!" Tomoyo took Sakura's hands in her own and looked her straight in the eye.

"Sakura Kinomoto! You are _eighteen_ years old! It's time you start to think about yourself! Li-kun is kind _and_ hot, which is a very rare find indeed, and I'm not going to let you miss this chance!" Sakura laughed and smiled at her best friend.

"Arigatou Tomoyo!"

They both turned at the corner and stopped in front of a large building with a sign above a large window that displayed various types of clothing. The sign read, _Daidouji Enterprises Store_. They walked in the double-glass doors and over to the cash register which was located next to the wooden stage at the very back of the large building.

Sometimes Tomoyo would through parties in which she'd have a modeling contest and show, so the stage was made of brightly polished wood that shined in the light. Sakura sat on the stage and gazed around.

"So what am I doing today?" Tomoyo smiled and pulled out a brown bag beneath the counter. She carefully pulled out another new design. It was a short pink skirt with a beautiful white top. Both were decorated with many frills and ribbons; exactly Tomoyo's style. Sakura smiled and took it, walking to the back of the stage where the dressing room was located.

------------------------------------------

"Well, you saved me yet again Eriol. I take it that your foresight powers haven't lessened a bit?" Eriol laughed and turned to look at Syaoran. Syaoran was focusing his eyes on the road, yet Eriol knew that his mind was taking in the flocks of people, making sure none of them had any intentions of attacking them. Still, Eriol could tell something else was on the king's mind as well.

"Do you regret what you've done, Syaoran?" Syaoran blinked in surprise at his serious tone and turned his gaze onto Eriol's.

"I do not know just yet Eriol…" For one split second, Syaoran could have sworn he saw despair in Eriol's eyes, but as quick as it had come, it had gone. Syaoran shook his head and continued on. As Syaoran was about to ask where they were going, Eriol stopped outside a large building. He opened the clear glass doors and entered, and hesitantly Syaoran followed.

---------------------------------------------

"Tomoyo, does this look alright?" Sakura called out from the back.

"It looks wonderful Sakura-chan! Now come forward so I can get a better look." As Sakura walked to the center of the stage, the doors of the shop opened. Sakura looked down as she felt heat on her chest.

Gently she took out the necklace which was emitting heat. Why was it doing that? It had done it twice last night. The necklace was strange though…it was the same one she had obtained at the temple years ago. She wore it everywhere she went, but only Tomoyo, Touya, and Yukito had seen it. As the footsteps came nearer, Sakura quickly let it drop back beneath her shirt.

Tomoyo had her start posing, which was Sakura's least favorite part. Finally in the middle of one of her poses, two people appeared…familiar people.

"HOE!!!" Sakura tried to back up and turn around, but being as clumsy as she was, she tripped and fell off the side of the stage (not for the first time). Expecting to feel the cold, hard ground, she was surprised she didn't feel the impact.

Sakura gazed up slowly and looked into the amber eyes of Syaoran Li.

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Okay, I hope you are enjoying the story so far! Please review after you've read, and thanks to AngelEmCuti and rosedreamer101 for reviewing chapter 8 :)


	10. Another Death

A Forbidden Love

Chapter X: Another Death

Sakura found herself trapped, gazing into his stunning amber eyes. He stared back, seeming to be searching her own eyes for something. Sakura tried to think of something, anything to say, but his gaze seemed to have swept her mind blank. She could see a faint blush below his eyes, but then again, she was probably blushing too; not just because of her feelings for him, but from embarrassment as well. _I just made a complete fool of myself…_ She would have slapped her forehead, except she realized she had grabbed onto Syaoran's shoulders when she had fallen.

"Um…Syaoran-kun, you can put me down now." Syaoran blinked a few times, as if waking from a trance, and then realized he was still holding her. He quickly put her down and blushed madly, gazing down at the ground. Tomoyo giggled lightly, and Eriol laughed, grinning widely.

"Syaoran-kun, Hirragizawa-kun, why are you here?" Sakura asked, looking at both of them confusedly.

"Tomoyo said we should look around town, and by lucky chance, we found our way here. And, by the way Princess Kinomoto, you may call me Eriol. I find that my last name can get quite tiring." Sakura smiled and nodded.

"You may call me Sakura too if you wish," replied Sakura. Eriol nodded, and smiling, turned to gaze at Tomoyo.

"So this is your store Tomoyo? It's huge!" Tomoyo blushed.

"Hai, it is my pride and joy, besides seeing Sakura-chan in my wonderful outfits and new designs!" exclaimed Tomoyo, her eyes sparkling. Sakura blushed and rubbed the back of her head.

"T-Tomoyo-chan…" Sakura looked at Syaoran, then looked down and realized she was still wearing the new design. "H-HOE!" Sakura was now blushing the color of a fully blossomed rose, and she quickly ran up to the changing room to switch back into her other clothes.

"So, um, Daidouji-san, why do you have a stage here?" asked Syaoran confusedly. His mind was still floating in the clouds from when he had been holding onto Sakura, but it was starting to become a bit clearer.

"Every now and then I hold parties here where we have fashion and dance contests, so the stage is a necessity. Oh! I should throw a party for you two! I'll just have to check my schedule later at the palace…"

"That sounds like it would be a lot of fun, Daidouji-san…"

"And, of course, I'm sure Sakura-chan would come," Syaoran tried to control the blush spreading across his face. "And, Li-kun, you can call me Tomoyo as well." Syaoran nodded, gazing at the polished wooden floor. He looked up, however, when Sakura reappeared on the stage wearing her normal clothes. She smiled, and when her eyes met his, blushed lightly and turned her gaze to the wooden stage floor as well, her hands behind her back.

"Well, why don't we all go to lunch together?" suggested Tomoyo, smiling brightly.

"Yeah, I know this really good Italian place!" replied Sakura joyfully. Everyone agreed so they all exited the large superstore and followed Sakura down the busy street. A dense fog was rolling in, and Syaoran found himself thinking,_ I feel something worse coming our way then fog…_

They stood in front of a small café building. Unlike the many other buildings though, the lights were off, and there was a strange stillness in the air. Sakura suddenly realized part of the haunting feeling was because there were no people on the road, as if it was deserted. _…well, we are going to lunch a bit early…everyone's probably at work._

"Sakura-chan, are you sure this is the place?" questioned Tomoyo quietly. She also looked slightly unnerved. Sakura nodded, looking through the window confusedly. She turned and tried the door. It was open.

"Maybe they just forgot to turn on the lights…" They all entered the dark building slowly. There were no lights anywhere, and it seemed that no one was in the restaurant. As Sakura took a step towards the kitchen, her necklace began to shed warmth, like before. _Maybe the gem wants me to go into the kitchen…_ Hesitantly, Sakura walked over to the swinging kitchen doors and walked in.

If she hadn't been so shocked, she would have screamed. The man she recognized as the cook was lying on the stone floor, his un-seeing eyes wide open, his skin pale-white, and his chest torn open with the blood in a puddle beneath him. As she gazed at the claw-like marks on the sides of the torn open chest, Sakura's eyes started to glaze over and her sight was becoming blurry. The gem on her necklace glowed hazily and suddenly Sakura wasn't seeing the pale, bloody corpse anymore. To her, it seemed she was seeing through the eyes of a totally different creature.

_It ran quickly, jumping from shade patch to shade patch. It had orders it had to follow. Yes, follow the orders. It was good orders because it was hungry…yes, follow orders. It landed outside the restaurant. Its crimson eyes blinked a few times, then it slowly sunk into the ground and slid through the bottom opening of the door. Follow the orders…the man was in the back. It slid under the kitchen doors. It was so hungry, and it must follow the orders. The creature waited until the man's back was turned, then…_

"_Must follow orders…don't get in the way."_

Syaoran swung around as a high pitched scream came from the kitchen. Next to him, Eriol paled and looked in the direction of the two swinging kitchen doors. There was a peculiar look on his face; one Syaoran couldn't recognize.

"Sakura!" exclaimed Tomoyo. Syaoran ran quickly and threw the doors open. Sakura was standing in front of the dead body of what must have been the owner. Sakura's eyes seemed glazed over, and slowly she began to fall forward. Syaoran ran forward and caught her just in time. Sakura said softly, "…must follow orders…don't get in…way." Then, she closed her eyes and said no more.

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Sorry about the icky description of the corpse. It really disturbed me to have to describe it. Anyway, I hope you're enjoying my story so far, and are nice and kind enough to leave me a review! Thanks to AngelEmCuti, rosedreamer101, and Unknown Person! Really, thanks a lot you guys, I couldn't keep writing without your encouragement and feedback :)


	11. Recovery

A Forbidden Love

Chapter XI: Recovery

_She stared at the slimy prison walls. They were like the rest of the god-forsaken castle, old, crumbling, and black. Still, something was keeping the castle from falling apart…She wiped away her tears, but more spilled down her pale face, replacing those she swept away. It was almost as hopeless as her current situation. She began to bang on the large wooden door again with all her strength, but it would neither brake nor open. She stopped and gazed down at her gem on the necklace as it began to flicker again. It had been doing that for a while now. A large tear fell from her eye and splashed onto the stone ground._

_"…Syaoran…"_

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Sakura opened her eyes slowly, trying to adjust to the sudden light. Her vision was a bit blurred, but she could see that there were two people in the bright room that she now recognized as her own. One, the taller of the two, was standing, gazing out of her massive window. The second person was sitting at the foot of her bed that she was lying on. Finally her sight returned to normal and she realized it was Tomoyo and Syaoran. _…why are they here? Why was I sleeping during the daytime?_

As if it were one big tidal wave, everything that occurred before-hand crashed into her mind, and remembering the bloody corpse, she sat up quickly, her face pale. Both Tomoyo and Syaoran spun around, and realizing she was awake, hurried over.

"Sakura, thank goodness you're alright! We were so worried about you! You passed out in the restaurant, and Li-kun barely caught you in time before you fell." Sakura smiled.

"Thank you for worrying about me Tomoyo, Syaoran. But…where is Eriol-kun?"

"He said he had something important to do…I'll go get him." Tomoyo took one last glance at Sakura, then left her room. Sakura looked down at her hands and tried to hold in the tears, but she was too overwhelmed with sorrow. She let the water fall from her eyes, but turned to gaze at Syaoran as he sat down quietly next to her.

"I know that I haven't been with you for years like Tomoyo, and I know that I was risking a lot by kissing you last night, but if you want to talk or just need cheering up, I'll be here to listen," said Syaoran, gazing down. Sakura wiped away her tears and looked down at her bed.

"The man who was found dead; the manager of the café, well, he was a really good friend of mine, almost like another father. When my father died, I would go there and just talk to him. He was always willing to listen, to cheer me up."

"…Sakura…" Syaoran looked at her, his gaze full of sadness and sympathy.

"The worst part is though," Sakura continued, tears streaming down her face, "…his child is going to be born three weeks from now. He was telling me about it the last time I was there."

Syaoran seemed to hesitate for a moment, then pulled Sakura into his arms, gently holding her close. Sakura's first thought was to breakaway, but Sakura once again heard Tomoyo's advice in her head, and after a few seconds of inner turmoil, relaxed in his warm embrace, laying her head against his chest.

"…Syaoran, I can't stand to watch my people suffer…it hurts so much…" Syaoran tightened his embrace on her a little.

"I know, Sakura. I feel the same way. But, we'll find a way to stop whatever is causing it…I'm sure of it." Sakura smiled as the tears running down her face began to dry.

"A-Arigatou, Syaoran…"

As Sakura was about to close her eyes in the comfort of Syaoran's arms, someone knocked on her door, and surprised, she jumped out of Syaoran's arms, wishing that the person could have waited a minute or two.

"H-Hai, come in," stuttered Sakura.

Tomoyo and Eriol entered and sat down on her desk and table chairs. As Eriol turned his gaze to Sakura, she could have sworn she saw sorrow in his eyes. Syaoran was also gazing at Eriol suspiciously. _What could be causing Eriol-kun sadness though?_ Tomoyo opened her mouth to speak, but there was a loud knock at the door, and after a second Touya strode in. Sakura stood up quickly, anger written all over her face.

"I didn't say you could come in, did I?" Touya snorted, seemingly amused.

"Why would I need permission to enter a _kaijuu's _bedroom?" Sakura fumed. _How dare he call me a monster in front of my friends?! Maybe around Yukito I can understand, but this is just going too far!_

"I'M NOT A MONSTER!"

"You sure scream like one,"

"Onii-chan!" Touya turned to look at all of them. His eyes shifted from Eriol to Syaoran suspiciously.

"…and why are you two in here, and why is his Majesty sitting on Sakura's bed?" Touya was beginning to glare. Syaoran paled a bit, but Eriol smiled and said,

"Princess Sakura invited us for tea since she was feeling down from her friend's sudden death. I'm sure that you can understand," Touya stared at them for a few more silent seconds, then nodded. He then turned to Sakura with an even more serious look on his face.

"Sakura, Yuki and I have to leave the kingdom for a week on a very important business trip. It will only be you and Tomoyo at the castle, so take good care of the guests." Touya walked back over to the door, muttering under his breath, "…don't take _too_ much care for them though…"

"Nani?" questioned Sakura. Touya sighed.

"Be a good kaijuu while we're gone."

"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU?! I'M NOT A MONSTER!" Sakura flung her pillow at him, but he closed the door just in time so that the pillow bounced off. The room went silent of a few seconds, then Tomoyo, Eriol, and Syaoran began to laugh hysterically. Sakura just sat on her bed, looking completely befuddled.

"Sakura-san, I wouldn't call that princess-like behavior," said Eriol in between his laughter.

"Not unless you were auditioning for pillow fighting princess," continued Syaoran when he could breath.

"If so, you might want to work on your aim," said Tomoyo. After a few seconds they all calmed down. Tomoyo was the first to speak.

"Well, it seems you guys are stuck with us for a week." Just as Eriol was about to reply, a loud growl came from Sakura's direction. She blushed and looked down.

"Sorry…my stomach growled." Everyone turned to stare.

"…that was"

"…your stomach?" finished Syaoran. Both he and Eriol began to laugh again.

"Sakura-san, that sounded more like a hungry lion!"

"I think we'd better go eat before Lioness Sakura decides to eat us instead!" exclaimed Syaoran, choking down his laughter.

"Why is everyone picking on me today?!" Sakura questioned, while pretending to pout and look angry while stifling giggles.

"I'm sorry Sakura-chan! To make it up, how about we go get dinner at Chiharu's night club?" said Tomoyo, smiling kindly. Sakura brightened up at once, and Syaoran and Eriol found themselves pushed out of the room, the girl's saying they needed to change. Syaoran stared at the door. He was very confused.

"…_night…club?_"

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There, to make up for the disturbing scene in the last chapter, I gave Sakura & Syaoran a "moment". Too bad it had to get ruined... Anyway, I'm so happy about all the reviews I got for the last chapter, so keep reviewing guys! Thanks to rosedreamer101, vivx, Nadja100, AngelEmCuti, and Little Miss Bubbles for taking the time to review my fanfic :)


	12. Syaoran's First Bar Fight

A Forbidden Love

Chapter XII: Syaoran's First Bar Fight

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"Uh, Tomoyo…are you sure this is the right outfit?" Sakura couldn't help from feeling a bit silly and slightly embarrassed. The outfit wasn't unlike the many others she h ad worn to past night clubs. It was a knee length red dress that fit tightly to her body, showing off her figure and curves quite well. The top was spaghetti straps, that Sakura was becoming accustomed to wearing.

Tomoyo walked out of the bathroom and smiled warmly, sparkles in her eyes. Tomoyo was wearing a similar dress only instead of red, it was a midnight blue. Tomoyo giggled and pulled Sakura over to the mirror. When she saw her reflection, Sakura blushed lightly.

"Come sit at your desk so I can put your makeup on!" Tomoyo said excitedly. Sakura let herself be pulled over to her wooden desk and placed in the chair. Tomoyo ran back to the bathroom and returned with her makeup kit. As she started placing it on Sakura, Sakura said,

"It's been a while since we went to a night club, hasn't it?" Tomoyo nodded. She and Sakura used to go night clubbing once a week, but somehow Touya found out and wouldn't let them leave the castle at night afterwards. Now that he was gone on a trip, Tomoyo was going to take full advantage of his absence. Maybe she could even get Sakura and Syaoran to bond a bit more. Tomoyo finished with the makeup and took Sakura back to the mirror.

"Sakura-chan, you look so adorable! Li-kun will be falling head over heals for you!" A blush spread across Sakura's face.

"I don't think so Tomoyo. Syaoran-kun's a prince so he's probably seen way more beautiful girls then me." Tomoyo shook her head, and, grabbing their stuff, they walked to the staircase.

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Syaoran's gaze flicked around to the different areas of the room while his thoughts stayed the same. _Going to a night club when your part of the royal family…isn't that just a bit too dangerous? Whatever it was that killed that man this afternoon could still be lurking out there, somewhere…_ Syaoran sighed and gazed over at Eriol.

"Is this going to turn out alright, Eriol?" Eriol gazed down at the ground in some sort of concentration. After a few seconds, his eyes glazed over, similar to the way Sakura's seemed to have been at the café earlier. After a minute he sighed and sat down heavily on the couch. Syaoran realized why. Eriol was extremely talented with foresight, but it took a lot of concentration and energy. Luckily he only had to look into a few hours ahead. Syaoran had seen him before when he went through an entire day. After, he hadn't been able to walk, let alone talk.

"…well?"

Eriol opened his mouth, about to speak, but shut it and spun Syaoran around so that they both were facing the large staircase. Syaoran's own mouth opened, but nothing came spilling out. No words could describe what his eyes saw.

Beauty just seemed to radiate from Princess Sakura. Her red dress went down to her knees, and the spaghetti straps allowed her to show off her slender, pale arms. It would cause any guy to lust for her. Syaoran was stuck between his two strongest urges; one being for her to wear it because he loved looking at her in it, the other wanting her to change into something else so he could be the only guy to see her in it, and the only guy to get close to her. Syaoran snapped back to reality and turned to gaze at Eriol. From his look, Eriol was having the same dilemma as Syaoran just had.

Sakura and Tomoyo reached the bottom of the stairway, and Tomoyo walked over to Eriol, leaving Sakura and Syaoran alone for a second. Sakura was standing next to him, gazing down at the floor…and blushing? _Is she embarrassed?_

"Syaoran-kun…do I look…okay?" Syaoran blinked. _That's what she's worried about?_ Syaoran smiled kindly at her.

"You look beautiful," replied Syaoran, now looking at the ground, a blush spreading across his face as well. They both turned as Tomoyo started to giggle loudly. Both she and Eriol were gazing at Sakura and him kindly.

They came to a stop in front of a large rectangular building. They entered the heavy wooden door. The building seemed to be sliced in half. The half they had entered was the restaurant side, and in the back was a half-wall which must have been the border between the dance floor due to the darkness and booming music coming from the other side.

"If it is okay, Syaoran-kun and I will go eat." Tomoyo nodded at Eriol as Sakura grabbed her and pulled her towards the dance floor. Syaoran was glad Eriol decided to do that; he was worried that if he saw some guy just staring at Sakura he'd get violent. Still…he had wanted to see Sakura dance… They sat down and ordered a pizza. Half way through eating, though, things took a turn for the worst.

Syaoran looked up worriedly as Tomoyo came running in, coming to a stop in front of him. She looked to be near tears.

"Li-kun, Sakura's in danger!" Syaoran, surprised at first, spat out his food. Syaoran looked down as he felt warmth on his chest. His eyes widened. _Why is my medallion lighting up and shedding warmth?_ Suddenly Syaoran had a very strong urge to protect Sakura…more then before. He quickly stood up, and without having to ask, Tomoyo lead him to Sakura's risky situation.

A group of men had surrounded Sakura, and the stench coming from them was enough to prove Syaoran's idea correct. They were, without a doubt, completely drunk. Syaoran threw a kick at the back of one of the guy's legs and the drunk fell over cursing. Syaoran gracefully jumped over him and landed next to Sakura in the ring. He motioned to the opening.

"Run, I'll take care of them!" Sakura, fear in her emerald eyes, nodded and ran off towards the nearest exit. Syaoran got in his martial arts position and prepared himself. _These idiots won't be a problem; I've faced much worse._ The first guy pulled out a knife and lunged at Syaoran, but he side stepped him easily and kicked the guy in his side, causing him to fall over, coughing blood, probably from a broken rib. Syaoran spun around to punch another drunk in the face who was trying to sneak up on him. Another one tried to charge at Syaoran but tripped over the guy on the floor and fell flat on his face. Yet another lunged at him and managed to punch Syaoran in the stomach, knocking him backwards. Instead of falling on his back, Syaoran turned it into a back flip and landed on his feet gracefully. He then threw the punch back at the idiot, and the drunk fell over. The other two took one look at Syaoran and ran for it.

Syaoran ignored all the terrified stares he was getting and walked back into the other half of the building. Tomoyo and Eriol were sitting, talking quietly.

"Where is Sakura?" he asked quickly, worried deeply.

"…the roof," replied Tomoyo. Syaoran, without saying more, hastily walked over to the roof entrance.

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Okay, I'm sorry to say that I'm starting my second year in High School tomorrow, so I'll only be updating every Sunday now. I'm sorry about it, but there isn't anything I can do :(

Anyway, please don't forget to review! Thanks to my wonderful reviewers from the last chapter:: vivx, Nadja100, Little Miss Bubbles, and rosedreamer101 :)


	13. Syaoran's Feelings

A Forbidden Love

Chapter XIII: Syaoran's Feelings

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Sakura stood on the flat roof of the night club, staring out at the orange hue of the sky as Cerberus, the sun, set and Yue, the moon, began to rise to take his place in the evening sky. If she hadn't been so frightened, irritated, and gloomy, Sakura probably would have thought it was a beautiful night. There were no clouds, so she would be able to see the stars quite well. They would sparkle, just like the tears falling from her eyes did before they hit the ground.

Sakura knew she looked like a living wreck, partially because that was how she currently felt. So many thoughts were pulling, tugging at her mind, and it was causing her total confusion and no concentration, which she was in dire need of. The death of her beloved friend caused her much sorrow, and although Syaoran had lessened the pain, it still stung mightily. Sakura sighed.

_Syaoran._ He was the largest part of her problems. So many different feelings revolved around him, and so many of them could lead to pain, or even…death. Sakura was the princess of Zentra; Syaoran was the king of Li. The two kingdoms had always had squabbles in the past, but were about to be condemned to war thanks to the people who were putting the blame of all the mysterious happenings on the other nation. If Sakura revealed that she did like Syaoran, Touya would throw him out of the kingdom on his rear end, and the people would be so angry that they'd probably start a war without the king's permission.

_…but, do I like him? Yes, I have feelings for him, and when I was in his arms I felt so floaty and wonderful, but how do I know if I really love him, not just like him as a friend?_

_"…you'll understand in time, so don't worry,"_ said a voice in her head. Sakura blinked confusedly, a sense of deja'vu sweeping through her mind. _…that voice, it isn't mine, yet it is so familiar…I know that I've heard it before._ Sakura turned around hastily as she heard footsteps.

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Syaoran stepped onto the solid roof of the night club silently. He gazed at Sakura who had her back turned to him, facing the evening sky. His heartbeat became just a bit faster; he was starting to become accustom to it. He wondered what Sakura was thinking about…crying about. He had no doubt that she was still in shock of having her friend die like that, and also in shock from being attacked at a nightclub. Still, Syaoran had a feeling that there was something besides those that was paining Sakura.

Syaoran felt a strong urge to just run up to her and pull her into his arms and hold her tightly against him, like he had done earlier. He desperately wanted to take away her pain, regret…fear. He wanted to take away her burden, her responsibilities. Syaoran wished to see her like she was when he arrived; cheer in her shining emerald eyes and a wide smile across her beautiful face. All he wanted was for her to be happy…with him.

Yes, Syaoran was positive of his deep feelings now. There was no way not to be absolutely sure. Just thinking of her, seeing her face in his mind caused him to blush, his heart to race, and gave him a feeling of floating. He couldn't deceive himself about it anymore; he wanted her. But he didn't want her just physically. No, what he wanted the most was her happiness. He really did truly care about her. He knew how much pain she was going through, and he couldn't stand to see her cry.

There were many risks he was taking by falling in love with her. They were royalty from two separate kingdoms who were on the verge of war because each believed the other responsible for a stream of disappearances and assassinations. Not only would this put his mission of peace in danger, but it would probably cause a war anyway. If the king of Zentra did agree (which was a chance lower then 1 percent ), the board of elders at the Li kingdom certainly wouldn't either. Any way that he looked at it, it didn't look pretty.

But he no longer cared.

Syaoran walked forward, and Sakura turned around to gaze at him confusedly, tears running down her face, leaking from her eyes. He gazed into her water-filled emerald eyes for a minute, then without an ounce of hesitation in him, he pulled the sorrow-filled girl into his arms, holding her close. She closed her eyes and softly laid her head on his chest. She looked up however as she saw something fall from his face and splash onto the cement below. Syaoran looked down confused. _…blood?_

"Syaoran, you're bleeding. You've got a cut across your cheek." Syaoran blinked in surprise.

"I didn't notice. It must have been the guy with the knife…" Syaoran's anger boiled just thinking about what occurred a few minutes ago.

Sakura seemed to gaze at him with confusion, then buried her face in his chest, and Syaoran could tell that she was crying again.

"…Sakura…" She interrupted him.

"Why?" Syaoran looked down at her confused.

"Why, what?" Sakura quickly looked up at him, tears running freely down her face where past tear stains remained.

"Why did you save me? Why did you put yourself in danger because of me? Why are you so kind?!"

"…Sakura, I saved you because I care about you. Also, what would your brother think if I let you get killed by a bunch of drunks in a bar? I don't think that peace between kingdoms would be an option. I would never be able to live with myself, and…"

"…and?" Syaoran paused for a second, then said in a softer tone,

"And…I've fallen in love with you, Sakura." Sakura pushed away from him, and gazed into his amber eyes, seeming shocked and slightly dismayed. After a few seconds she bolted away, down the stairs to the restaurant, leaving Syaoran. He turned to gaze out at the night sky, to gaze at Yue the moon.

"Damn. What have I done?"

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Syaoran walked silently next to Eriol as they returned to the castle. Syaoran sighed inwardly. _I have to be the biggest idiot in the world…_ He thought that getting that off his chest would help, but it only made things far worse. He wished that she had yelled, screamed at him, cussed him out, done ANYTHING, but she had only stayed silent and ran off. Apparently Tomoyo took her home early.

"What have I done Eriol? I thought telling her would make things better, but it seems I caused the exact opposite to occur!"

"…do not forget, Xiao Lang, that Sakura has yet to give you her reply." Syaoran jumped._ Xiao Lang…_he hadn't heard that nickname in a long time…

Eriol was right though. He couldn't give up hope just yet.

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Okay, sorry that it took so long to update. Last weekend I got a cold and was unable to think, let alone type. Also, my parents made a rule that I'm not allowed on the computer during the week, so I had to wait until this weekend. I'm so sorry! Anyway, yeah this chapter didn't have much action in it, but it was necissary so...yeah.

Please review and thanks to all my wonderful reviewers out there: AngelEmCuti, rosedreamer101, and Nadja100 :)


	14. Enter Meiling!

**A Forbidden Love**

Enter Meiling

_She flew through the darkening sky surrounding the place she just managed barely to escape with her life intact. She gazed down at it, fear and pain streaking her face. She hated the place, just as she hated the pre-chosen destiny that had been thrown in not only her face, but __**his**__ as well. Why them, why oh why did it have to be them that were chosen?! Sakura sighed as the voice in her head replied,_

_"Because it was meant to be. Only you two are fit for the job." Sakura smiled, even though she wasn't sure if the comment was meant to be comforting or scary; she felt both._

_"Thanks-_

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Sakura gazed up at the light-pink roof of her bedroom and did something she had only done once before; she swore loudly. There were several reasons she had for her unusually bad behavior. One was that the voice in her dream was the same voice she had heard yesterday; the one that seemed so familiar. Had she stayed asleep just a few seconds longer, she would have known the identity of the mysterious voice!

The second reason was, of course, what happened last night between her and Syaoran. When he had told her that he was falling in love with her, she…she was shocked, yet happy…but another, more powerful part of her mind was not; that side often called "responsibility". She sighed._ …being with Syaoran is nothing but a fantasy. Actually doing so would only bring pain and death; exactly what I'm trying to avoid. Besides, I don't even know if I feel that strongly for him!_ Unfortunately the memory of being comforted in Syaoran's arms floated to the surface of her thoughts, bringing her past feelings as well. For a second a blush spread across her face, but as she realized it she shook her head quickly, trying to rid herself of the thoughts and feelings.

Sakura got up slowly and glanced at her clock, finding a third reason to curse loudly. It was already eleven! Sakura grabbed some clothes and walked to the shower. The warm water felt good and she couldn't help but sing on of her favorite songs.

After she was finished taking her shower and dressed, Sakura walked over to her desk with a smile on her face. Cleaning herself had made her feel refreshed. _…maybe today won't be so bad after all!_ Sakura unfortunately found out she was wrong when she looked down at her desk and discovered a fourth reason to curse the day.

"HOE-E!!! I'm late for work!" Due to the fact that she had been a living wreck yesterday night, she had totally forgotten she had to work for Tomoyo the next morning. Sakura ran around her room, hastily gathering her items while tear apart her room top to bottom, searching for her missing items.

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Syaoran stared up at the bright blue sky while lying on his back on one of the many green, grassy hills of the palace gardens. Next to him sat Eriol, gazing around cheerfully at the beauty that surrounded them. Syaoran wished he could relax and enjoy the beautiful day like that, but he had lost any chance of relaxation last night.

Now that he had expressed his feelings to Sakura, she now had to give him an answer. He couldn't lie to himself; he was a bit afraid of what her response would be. He wouldn't be surprised if it was a big slap across the face! He _had_ been reckless…yet, he couldn't find himself regretting his feelings.

_What if she returned the feelings though?_ Syaoran sighed. He'd have to break it to the elders, which was almost a complete suicidal attempt. Well, at least he wouldn't have to worry about breaking it to his _family._

Next to him, Eriol seemed to freeze, his eyes wide with a sense of fear. As Syaoran sat up quickly a wave of fear hit him and the air around him became chilly. _What is this?_ As soon as it came, it vanished, and both of them were back to normal…almost. Syaoran sighed.

_"I don't like this one bit…"_

_----------------------------------------------------------------_

"I'm sorry I'm so late Tomoyo!" screamed Sakura as she flung herself at Tomoyo, capturing her in a large glomp. Tomoyo laughed lightly.

"It's alright Sakura-chan. I figured you'd sleep in, but come. I'm in dire need of some information, and questions need answering!" Sakura sighed and followed Tomoyo in defeat.

"He…did…WHAT?!" Tomoyo screeched.

"He…he told me he was falling in love with me," whispered Sakura slowly. Tomoyo jumped out of her seat as swiftly as a lion and pounced on Sakura, wrapping her in a tight hug.

"I'm so happy for you Sakura! It was about time you found your true love!"

"Tomoyo…need…air!" Tomoyo blinked, then seeing that Sakura's face was turning purple, let go quickly. Sakura rubbed her neck and sighed.

"Thanks, but…Tomoyo, think about it!" Sakura heard the doors of the store swing open.

"What do you mean Sakura?" questioned Tomoyo, blinking. The footsteps neared.

"This is Syaoran we're talking about Tomoyo; _LI_ Syaoran!" The footsteps stopped.

"_…Xiao Lang?_ What about him?"

Sakura and Tomoyo spun around to face the intruder. Both girls gasped as they met a familiar face, and exclaimed in unison,

"MEILING?!"

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Aishi22: Yes, I'm sorry it is a filler chapter, but it has to be put in. The next three or four however are NOT filler chapters, so don't worry :) Please review, and thanks to rosedreamer101, vivx, Teruna Hime, and AngelEmCuti for review chapter 13, it means a lot to me!


	15. The Tragedy of the Li Family

**A Forbidden Love**

The Tragedy of the Li Family

_"Meiling?!"_

"Yo!" greeted Meiling as she sat down in the empty seat next to Tomoyo. Meiling's appearence hadn't changed since the last time Sakura had seen her; still a bit taller then Sakura, with beautiful black hair pulled back into two sections, and a smile that only Meiling could possess. The only difference was the outfit that she was wearing. It seemed traditional; short shorts covered by a large shirt that had draping long sleeves and the symbol of the Li kingdom in the center. It had been quite a while since Sakura and Tomoyo had seen Meiling; the last time being her setting off to check the branch of Tomoyo's store in the Li kingdom. Yes, Meiling also worked for Tomoyo, but she often went to check on the other branch.

"So," Meiling said in a "buisness-like" sort of way, "What about Xiao Lang, or as you call him, Syaoran?" Both Sakura and Tomoyo blinked, confusedly. Tomoyo spoke first.

"You know Li-kun?" Meiling looked at there perplexed expressions for a second, then burst into laughter.

"I never did tell you my full name, did I? My name is Meiling Li, Syaoran Li's cousin." Tomoyo and Sakura turned to look at each other for a second, then both screamed at exacly the same time. Once they were done, Meiling asked, "So...what's going on?"

Sakura and Tomoyo began explaining Sakura's situation, Tomoyo continuing when Sakura couldn't. Meiling listened quietly to their story, and once it finished, had a peculiar expression on her face that neither Tomoyo nor Sakura could name._ Worry? Fear?_ After a second she came out of it, and laughed lightly.

"Well, that is Syaoran for yah. Once he puts his mind to something, he won't give up." Sakura blinked, once again confused, this time at Meiling's reaction.

"But...what about his family or the village elders? Won't they be against it?" Meiling stared at Sakura in confusion now.

"Sakura, you're telling me you haven't heard of the tragedy of the Li family?" inquired Meiling. Sakura blinked and shook her head.

"...tragedy?" Meiling nodded.

"I'll explain it to you." She took a deep breath.

"As you know, the Li family has been the rulers of the Li kingdom since it was created. For ages it has been passed down, and it was always a peacful time. But, once the kingdom fell into the control of Syaoran's mother and father...things started to happen...bad things. Well, the Li family is known to have strong magical powers; Syaoran's mother being the strongest. Well, before Syaoran was born, some of our cousins arrived at the palace, saying that someone had attempted to kill them. So, Syaoran's father, of course, had them stay in the palace.

Syaoran, was, by then born. Several more cousins had flocked to the castle, also saying the same thing. Syaoran's mother tried to find out the cause, but was unable to... the next day intruders managed to get into the castle without the king and queen being aware. By the time the others noticed, a good portion of our family had been murdered. The family, deciding it was for the best, fled from the castle in the middle of night and relocated to far away towns and villages under different names and identities, leaving only the king, queen, Syaoran, and Eriol at the castle."

Both Sakura and Tomoyo shivered.

"...that's horrible!" exclaimed Sakura, anger on her face.

"Yeah...so that's why it wouldn't matter if Syaoran told his family; because Eriol is the only family he has left besides me."

_...that's really horrible...to think of how long Syaoran-kun must have been alone..._ Sakura felt an overwhelming pity for him. Meiling turned to gaze at Sakura.

"So Sakura...how _do_ you feel about Syaoran? Sakura looked down at her feet.

"I-I think I like him too...but I don't know how to tell if it's the right kind of 'like'. Also...just think of what would happen if Oniichan found out..." Sakura shivered. Meiling jumped up onto her chair, hands on her hips, the familiar burning in her eyes.

"Kinomoto Sakura, you need to _LIVE YOUR OWN LIFE_! If you love him, you love him, and if you don't, you don't! No one is going to decide for you! No one has the POWER to decide for you!" Tomoyo laughed and clapped, and Sakura shrunk down in her chair. Tomoyo looked at the clock.

"It's almost time to be heading back...do you want to come Meiling? You can say hi to Li-kun." Meiling shook her head.

"Nah, I'll visit tomorrow if I can. Thanks anyway." As Tomoyo and Sakura walked away, Meiling smiled to herself.

_Even though you won't admitt it Kinomoto, I see a look of love in your eyes as you worry over Syaoran...I think it's not that you can't tell, but that you're thinking from your brain, and not your heart._

Meiling spun around into her martial arts position as she sensed someone behind her. Eriol laughed as he blocked her first punch.

"Long time, no see cousin." Meiling blinked in surprise, then lowered her fists of fury and sighed.

"I should have known it would be you, Eriol. What's up? How's Syaoran?" Eriol smiled lightly.

"His majesty is drowning in his sea of sorrow because the princess hasn't replied to him yet," Eriol paused and turned to look towards the window. "But, that's not what I came to talk to you about." Meiling stiffened.

"The time is drawing nearer Meiling...keep watch over Sakura while she's here. Keep your own guard up as well." Meiling nodded, and before Eriol disappeared again, asked,

"Eriol, you don't think this will turn out well, do you?" A pause of silence, then,

"I don't think it will, but I'm hoping that I'm wrong." Then he was gone, and Meiling was alone again. She sighed.

_That guy ALWAYS creeped me out...I don't know how Syaoran puts up with him..._

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Aishi22: Okay, guys I'm SO sorry that it's been this long. First my computer crashed, I lost the files, then a huge block for writing, then school, and yeah...but now I'm back on track, so expect a lot more chapters! Please review, as always, and thanks to AngelEmCuti, rosedreamer101, vivx, and Ruize, who reviewed chapter 14. Thanks guys!


	16. Eriol's Warning

**A Forbidden Love**

Eriol's Warning

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Sakura and Tomoyo walked into the castle and instantly collapsed upon the couch in the loby area. Sakura sighed and lay her head on Tomoyo's shoulder, wishing the swirling mass of confusion in her head would just disappear. Tomoyo smiled down at her kindly, knowing that she was tired.

"Princess, you look rather worn out." Sakura, not expecting the voice to come from behind her, jumped up in surprise, lost her balance, and fell onto the marble floor.

"HOEEEE!!" Tomoyo held back giggles, and turned her gaze to Eriol, who had walked up behind them. Eriol also looked slightly amused as he helped Sakura up off the ground. Sakura nodded in thanks, then sat back down next to Tomoyo.

"Eriol-kun, where did you come from? I didn't even hear you!" Eriol laughed, but at the same time a worried look crossed his face.

"When your heart is troubled, you tend to not notice things that you normally would, Sakura-san. I was taking a stroll in the palace gardens. They are very beautiful and calming. You should take a walk there, it'll help." Sakura smiled.

"Thanks Eriol-kun. I suppose I will." As Sakura got up and passed Eriol on the way to the gardens, suddenly she heard his voice in her head...he didn't speak, yet she heard it.

_"Please, be careful Sakura-san...there is danger closing in, and in your state it's very dangerous to be alone...I think you know what danger I'm talking about..."_

Sakura's eyes shot open and she paled, but she kept walking. She shoved her panic and fears aside and focused on relaxing in the gardens. She walked along the path that led to the waterfall. It was getting darker, and now she could see Yue, the moon, up in the sky, looking down. He was barily there, the new moon being only a few days ago.

Sakura sighed as she walked down a slopeing hill and into a small glade that was nearby the waterfall, and as she gazed out at it, she noticed a figure on the otherside, also gazing across...at her. Sakura's heart beat spead up considerably, and she felt a bit of blush grow underneath her eyes.

_...Syaoran..._

Sakura blinked as she felt her necklace heat up considerably, and suddenly her vision began to flicker...slowly at first, the faster. From color to black, then back to color...she took a step back, fear on her face... tears slid down the side of her face.

_...oh no...not them! It can't be them! Don't let it be them!_

Voices began to fill her mind.

_"Hungry..."_

_"So hungry..."_

_"Don't get in our way..."_

_"So much here..."_

It was like she was looking into a strobe light from a night club. It seemed like she was moving in slow motion as she continued to back up. Finally it just became to much for her, and she blacked out, falling backwards.

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Syaoran blinked in surprise as he felt his amulet heat at an extremely quick rate. He looked across at Sakura only to notice her backing up slowly, fear written all across his face, he managed to run to the otherside to catch Sakura as she fell backwards from passing out.

He closed his eyes, then sensed that there was some sort of creature around them. Holding a marble in his hand, he closed his eyes and focused on it. Slowly it grew into his sword, the one that had been passed down in his family for generations. He gently lay Sakura down and tried to locate the creature, but after a second, its presence disappeared.

Sighing, he gently picked Sakura up in his arms and carried her to the castle, into the lobby area, and remembering Sakura's directions, located her room quickly. He gently lay her down in bed, placed the covers over her, then closed the door, walked a few feet away, then hollered at the top of his lungs.

"ERIOL! GET YOUR BUTT OVER HERE!"

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"...and then she just passed out?" Eriol asked after Syaoran finished his explanation. He, Syaoran, and Tomoyo were sitting on the couches in the lobby, sipping at tea since none of them were very hungry yet. Syaoran nodded, then gazed into Eriol's eyes.

_"Eriol...my amulet began to heat up really quickly, like the time we were in the cafe. Sakura seemed to be in the same state as well...you know what is going on, don't you?"_

Eriol sighed inwardly, then replied coldly.

_"Your Majesty, I don't know how the world works, so stop making it sound like I'm the bad guy." _With that, Eriol shut his mind to Syaoran, something he only had to do rarely. Syaoran seemed taken aback by this as well.

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Syaoran stared up at the ceiling of his roof, wondering what was happening to Sakura. It definitely worried him, and he couldn't stop himself from being angry that he wasn't able to protect her from whatever it was. Sighing, he turned onto his side and stared at the clock.

_I hope that at least she gets some good rest..._

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_Okay, so I was nice and put up another chapter...but the next chapter is a big one. And you won't get to read it unless I have five reviews by Sunday! Mwhahahaha, yes I'm that evil. But I would like to thank my wonderful reviewers for chapter fifteen, AngelEmCuti, rosedreamer101, and Ruize :) So, please leave a review, okay? -aishi22_


	17. Sakura's Feelings

**A Forbidden Love**

Sakura's Feelings

_Sakura ran down the dark corridor as quickly as she could without slipping on the damp floor. Her feet made a splashing sound as she ran through several puddles of water. Behind her she could here the sound of the creature drawing nearer. She was tired...so tired of running. Her legs were already beginning to feel heavy. She slipped, and coughed up blood as her already badly bruised ribs landed on the hard stone floor. The staff she was holding in her hand fell out of her hand and clattered onto the floor a few feet away. She wondered if it was even worth it to get back up. her gaze landed on her necklace, cold as ice and dark as night. Seeing it made her want to just lie there and wait...wait for her pending doom._

Sakura's eyes shot open, only to see...nothing. Blinking, she sat up and looked at her clock on the stand next to her bed. It read 1:00 AM. Sighing, she lay back on her bed and stared up at the ceiling of her room. She remembered what had happened, and figured that Syaoran had probably brought her into the castle after she passed out. Sakura's thoughts were interupted however as her stomach let out a mightly roar that made her jump.

_Oh...right...I missed dinner..._ Sighing, she got up and retrieved her flashlight. Carefully she opened her door and stepped out into the hallway. Slowly she made her way down the hallway and stopped at the top of the stairs.

_I never realized how spooky the castle is at night..._She began walking down the stairs, one at a time. As she reached the bottom and stepped onto the floor, a jolt shot throug her and once again her sight flickered before her eyes.

_Oh no...no no no no NOO!_

Sakura began to run towards the kitchen, but tripped and fell, the flashlight flying out of her hand and landing with a clatter on the floor a few feet away, landing on the button so that it turned off. Without the light, the little defense she had, her sight began to act up even more and she felt them beginning to surround her. Whimpering, she tried to get up, but she was so scared that she couldn't move. They got even closer to her now, and she used the only thing she had.

She screamed.

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After a few hours of just lying there awake, Syaoran looked at his clock which read 1:05 AM, and sat up. He felt a little hungry and decided that he'd go and get something to eat. Maybe then he'd actually be able to get some sleep. Sighing, he got up and walked out his door, heading towards the kitchen.

Then he heard the scream.

_...Sakura!_ Using his night vision since he didn't want to waste time trying to find his flashlight, Syaoran ran down the hall and into the anti chamber where he was startled to find the scene before his eyes. Sakura was lying on the floor, shaking in fear with her arms over her head. Several creatures that seemed to be made of shadow were surrounding her and closing in slowly. _What are they? Oh well, what does it matter...Sakura's in danger!_

Once again, the amulet he was wearing began to heat up and light up as well. He took the marble out of his pocket and made it transform into his sword, then charged at the creatures. He swung heavily at one of them, but his sword just seemed to go through it, as if they were made of smoke. As his eyes caught sight of Sakura's flashlight, he got an idea. He pressed his amulet to his sword, and instantly his sword lit up. Once again he swang, and this time it cut the creature in half.

_That's more like it!_ The other creatures scattered into the shadows, away from the light. Syaoran bent down next to Sakura.

"Sakura! Sakura are you okay?" Sakura looked up, her face wet from the tears streaming from her eyes, which held a large amount of fear.

"I'm scared Syaoran! They'll come back! They always come back..." As soon as she said it, the creatures reappeared, even more then before.

"Can you run?" Sakura shook her head, shivering. _Okay then..._Without bothering to ask, Syaoran picked her up bridal-style and began to run down the corridor. He took a quick turn and hurried up the stairs, hopeing that his memory was right. Finally they reached the familiar door of Sakura's room, but the creatures were still following behind. Syaoran ran in, threw Sakura onto her bed, then slammed the door shut.

He pulled few pieces of paper out of his pocket and closed his eyes, focusing his mind on the words he wanted to use. Slowly words appeared on the paper, and finally when they were all full, her stuck them on Sakura's door with a loud thud. Letting out a sigh of relief, he turned around to Sakura.

She was still crying, her knees pulled up to her chest. _Sakura..._ Syaoran, disregarding the fact that Sakura still hadn't answered him, sat next to her and pulled her into his arms, holding her close against his chest...which was when he realized that he wasn't wearing a shirt.

_Oops...well, I wasn't really planning on being attacked...or running into someone else..._

He had expected Sakura to pull away from him, but she did the exact opposite. She relaxed in his embrace and lay against him, her breathing beginning to calm and her tears stopping. Finally, when it got to the point where her breathing matched his own, he pulled away and asked,

"Sakura...are you okay now?" Sakura nodded, looking down and not meeting his gaze. Syaoran, figuring that she'd probably be okay, headed toward the door.

"No...don't go, please! Don't leave me alone..." Sakura had jumped up and ran to him, wrapping her arms around him from behind, putting her face against his back. Syaoran smiled and gently picked Sakura up, walking back over to her bed. He tucked her in, then lay next to her, his arms around her. She still didn't pull away, but instead snuggled in next to him.

_Wow...is she really that scared?_ After a while her eyes finally closed, and before she fell asleep she spoke quietly.

"...Syaoran?"

"Yeah?" He brushed a stray hair out of her face, only to see that she was smiling a little.

"Syaoran...I love you too."

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aishi22: I know, I'm so sorry it's late, but a lot has been going on and the only reason I can get on the computer right now is that I have a cold. Gomen. Hope you enjoy the chapter and please review! Thanks to AngelEmCuti, vivx, Ruize, rosedreamer101, and Linda for reviewing chapter 16:)


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